2.27.2009

this past wednesday evening i had the pleasure of hosting the monthly book club dinner&discuss. it seems to me that i had stopped entertaining in the last years of being in my old apartment and i didn't know it, but had forgotten what joy and definition it brought to life. i stopped entertaining mainly because my old place had literally become a studio and because the walls seemed to be closing in so very fast. when i moved i was fortunate to give away and let go of so many things that cluttered my living and working space. i found in entertaining my friends the other night, that there was beauty again in the things i had decided to keep. dishes aren't usually something you can do without, obviously. it just felt nice to have a reason to use them and to appreciate them. i felt more appreciative of the fact that my guests came, than of what i thought i could offer by entertaining. mainly it just did me some good.

i also feel, in some respects i had become a little odd. in the sense that, hanging anything on my walls was something i feared doing. an absolutely maddening fear of driving in the nail and being so stubborn about it, even after inviting my mother over to help me take the step, hammer and measuring tape in hand. the fear sounds ridiculous to me. but it's over for now. i am not going to hang anything else for a little bit longer. oh and plus you'd think as an artist i'd have been given a free ticket ability to hang art, not a chance. the idea(s) are there, the desire is desperate but the skill&love is gone.

my only cooking mishap of the early evening came when i burnt something i was frying on the oven to a crisp, to a smokey, almost fire alarm sort of crisp. fans and doors flung open, i started over and won't ever ever try and fry bacon again, probably. it's not especially a meat i eat and secondly it's just not a cooking or frying me kind of thing. whatever freaky, split second thing happens in a pan, right before the whole of bacon stripes go up in flames, i have no clue, the science is something i'd like to leave in the lab, with a big fire extinguisher. and yeah, thankfully, for some fortunate reason, no lurking burnt bacon smell in my apartment, no waffle house odor lofting about, just a little garlicky around here. i am seriously ready for spring, i mean come on, all i want to do is show winter the door. leave the doors and windows open and not have winter re-invite herself back in for eight months.

if this has not been the long hard cold winter, i don't know what is, weathermen forecasting flood watches and snowfall, they only wish, chattanooga never sees the likes. if i'm gonna have to cozy up, i mine as well make more and more art. hopefully will finish ::telemachos thoughts:: tomorrow. until then, best weekend wishes to you all.

2.22.2009

work in progress. and a bit adjusted for the sake of keeping some kind of big reveal a secret. there is just something about exposing the truth, before you're ready. i am currently working on several new works for an upcoming FACES exhibit. my guts feel queazy about exposing much too much. hopefully i will have something complete by the end of the weekend though.

i am hosting book club this week and will be focusing on dinner prep. i am going to finally hang things on my walls too. somehow finishing this piece would be nice before having company. so i have my deadline. you'll see it all soon.

2.13.2009

tempting as it might be to forget about trying my hand at something new, i have resisted and will begin a new. there are more portraits in landscapes to come. ::tenderly speaking:: is not the first time i have painted a portrait but it is the first in several years. my forrest has grown and filled a place for a couple of years and i have plans to grow it still, three dimensionally, so to speak, very soon, i hope. those details have yet to be drawn and stitched together but rather in the works. in the meantime there is place that i would like to rediscover and build upon here. there is absolutely no way that anyone can be more critical of my art than myself of it. there is great relief in knowing there is plenty of room in trying, over and over again. i have plenty of motivation and enthusiasm at this point. fresh is better than nothing, not making is possibly the worse. turns out "tenderly" is not a self portrait, rather a image flashing by like when you faint and there a floating face, a glimpse of someone you know or knew or saw once is there, forever and instantaneously imprinted in my mind. and so that's it.i'd rather talk about adding the spice to your valentines day. i decided to bake a stack of sweetness instead of getting a six pack of beer. i'll wait.

and plus i have notice a whole lot going on lately. and wanted to shout it out, give and share the love.

there are 1000words of show&tell love. read february's and find a brother's heart for his little sister.

shelter is now providing home is where the heart is. immensely wonderful, if i do say so myself. being that i work for a general contractor and amongst builders and architects, and creative thinkers in general. i love it!

and to taste there seems to be a host of delightful treats at bake it pretty.

i am in love with the internet for one, and mostly i love my family and friends. have a happy valentine's day ya'll. cupid is calling. right?

2.05.2009

2.03.2009

it's in the air. all around us. between the cracks and beneath the layers. it's often loud and often hard to hear. it's quietly moving in right beneath our noses. it can be swept under the rug and barely noticed or embraced and reciprocated. it's the one thing that seems so simple, four little letters that pack a punch. it's surprising and heartbreaking, earth-shattering and mysterious. it can be a blessing and a curse. it can be twisted and thwarted, tainted and tempting. it is the one word we have a "love-hate" relationship with. we stuff it, we buy it, we hoard it and carry it with us wherever we go. it makes us angry and turns us upside down and still we hear the beckoning, the invitation, the welcome mat is out, the open sign is on. it brings us to our knees. it can be arranged and timed. it can be blind and freeing. it can change everything. it's a huge responsibility. it's not political. it's what's for dinner, in the stars, a sacrifice. it's what we wish for, pray for, diet for. it's under the covers, feeding the homeless, adopting, parenting, creating, and living. it's all in the details and on the tip of the tongue. it does not rest. it will not give up. do you feel it?

2.01.2009

i don't know about you but i am thinking and feeling more like spring. unfortunately, i think we here, still have a ways to go, after all those merryweathermen are calling for snow showers tomorrow. what? uh? ought there be some way to urge the warmth back into our hearts and homes? i would have to say so, no way the frigid temps are going to keep spring from my step.

between family gatherings, birthdays, late dinners and book club socials, i've found time to finish another little painting, i'm calling

::to be square:: it took a while because for such a tiny little thing i kept feeling like there was too much going on and i had to keep loading on the white paint. i believe i got it and i'm happy with how it turned out. i'll add it promptly to my etsy shop later on today or tomorrow. it will cost no less than sixty bucks with no additional shipping and handling.

i stayed up way too late last night to start and complete this sunburst//starburst project. i was determined and am so thankful. i'll be working on several more to hang in my large apartment windows. of course instead of curtains, to replace the snowflakes. i am so excited about how this turned out. it was of course not too too easy. the cones are a little tricky but i found that tacky glue works, dries fast and holds, you know?

i had this other idea to, cover all my my books in this white rice paper that kk1000 gave me like 10 years ago for christmas. at book club we talked about organization and how we each arrange our books. i'm not too worried about finding titles or authors, i've read all the books i have and very rarely do i go back to reference. i end up just letting people borrow but i think it'd be nice to have a white collection of books. awh!

i also have this pretty large lion painting that is so ridiculously gross, i'm not sure i oughta show it off. the good news is that it was given to me to paint over. so that's next on the to paint list. i'll have a few tiny little canvas squares i think i'm going to devote to paper quilts. we'll see.

oh and then there is valentines! i'm stocked to make my own to send out. cannot wait! 1st on my list of projects. yes yes yes!